Philipp Burkowski

Why did you choose this MSc? “After my bachelor in general business administration, I just really wanted to deep-dive in one specific area of business studies. I always felt passionate about financial data and business intelligence, so the Master in Accounting & Financial Management was the perfect fit for me. It perfectly built on to my prior knowledge, and gave me new academic and practical insights. On top of that, I really liked the opportunity to earn the internationally recognised CMA certification as part of the programme.”

How would you describe the programme and RSM? “In a nutshell: challenging, interactive and useful. Challenging because of the sheer amount of assignments and literature. Interactive because of the great in-class discussions and the approachability of our professors. Useful because I can use the knowledge acquired at RSM pretty much every day at my current job. Last but not least: amazing, because of all of my great, unique and international classmates.”

What was the biggest challenge in this master?“Definitely the master thesis. The university places great importance on academic work, and in the beginning I just felt overwhelmed by the requirements. But the support I got from my coaches, the university and fellow classmates was perfect. I gained a whole new appreciation for academic work, and could even see myself going for a PhD degree in the future. Being a teaching assistant for first-year bachelor students was equally challenging and rewarding.”

What made the greatest impression?“The Netherlands as a country – I just instantly fell in love with this place. The people are open, creative, and make you feel welcome from the first day. With an open mindset, even a year is enough to really enjoy and learn from Dutch culture. At university, I loved the internationalism on campus. Not just in my own class, but in any sports club, student association and among the academic staff: there really are people from all over the world.”

How did your studies at RSM shape your career?“In terms of academic knowledge, RSM really gave me a head-start into the corporate world. From the first day on the job, I was able to use the knowledge acquired at university. I’m still astonished by how relevant our curriculum was for my current position. In a more holistic way, RSM showed me that I wanted to work in an international context. Ultimately, this made me decide to pursue a career in internal audit. So far, I have not regretted my decision – in just two years, I could already work on projects in seven countries and on three continents.”

What are your future plans?“For now, I really enjoy my current role and want to keep improving my professional skills and understanding of the FMCG industry. In the more distant future, I could see myself aiming for an expert position in a company or going back to university.”

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